Last season, the Giants completed the greatest 4-game run in the history of the NFL and won the Super Bowl. When they beat the Cowboys, Packers and especially the Patriots, most analysts and pundits said it was a team getting hot at the right time, or a fluke. They said the upset of the Patriots was among the greatest upset of all time. And when this season started, the defending super bowl champion Giants were not even installed by Vegas bookmakers as the favorite in their own division. They were thought of as a second-tier team and their super bowl odds were behind those of the Patriots, Chargers, Colts, Jaguars and Cowboys.
But three-quarters through this season, we can look back at the victory over the Patriots and say, in all seriousness, that it was not such an upset. This season's Giants have proven that the playoff run was no aberration; it was an emergence. The Giants, at 11-1, are the class of the league. They have the chance to achieve football greatness in the next two months. There have only been two teams, the '84 49ers and the '85 Bears, that went 15-1 and won the super bowl. If, and it is still a big if, the Giants can duplicate that feat, they will have etched their place in NFL history as one of the greatest teams of all time.
What makes the Giants so amazing is that they are strong in every aspect of the game. Both the offense and defense are in the top five of the NFL. They are fourth in net punting average. Their average margin of victory is over 12 points per game, among the highest in history.
Eli Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he is looking more and more like his older brother every week (notice how he reads blitzes and calls out the proper blocking assignments as well as anyone in the league; he reads defenses and audibles from pass to run and vice versa; he has very good pocket presence).
There is no better backfield group in the league than Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw. Together, they average over 5 yards a carry, have lost only one fumble, and are exceptional at blocking and picking up blitzers. No one is a more punishing runner than Jacobs. Ward is a very underrated receiver. Bradshaw has often delivered the game's knockout punch.
The receiving corps certainly loses something with Burress gone (moreso redzone and goalline versatility than anything else), but Toomer, Smith and Hixon are all solid. They are not prone to dropping passes, are quick off the line of scrimmage and run precise, sharp routes. You can also expect Sinorice Moss to contribute regularly now.
The offensive line is probably the league's most valuable player (the AP allows you to actually vote for a unit on a team). They have been together for a few years already, and their chemistry (an underrated aspect of offensive line play) is excellent. They block for the league's top rushing offense and allow very few sacks. Chris Snee pulls on running plays as well as anyone in the league.
The defense is anchored by a strong front 4. Tuck is easily a top-five defensive player. His ability to rush the passer from the edge and the interior as well as his play against the run make him special. Robbins and Cofield are monsters in the middle of the line. They do an excellent job of collapsing the pocket and stuffing the run. Kiwanuka has freakish speed for a defensive end.
The linebackers, led by Pierce, while not speedy or spectacular, do a good job against the run and the short passing game.
The secondary has probably been where there has been the most improvement from the end of last year. Guys like Ross, Webster and Phillips are young players who improve game to game. Ross has made big interceptions the past few weeks and Phillips, is the rare safety who is not only a devastating hitter and good tackler (he's second on the team), but also good in coverage as well.
One last note on the Giants' punter this year. Jeff Feagles is one of the oldest players in the history of the NFL. It is clear that he has lost strength in his leg. But what is so remarkable about Feagles is that even though he is just 22nd in the league in gross punting average (at 43.1 yards/punt), he is 4th in the league in net punting average, at 41.9 yards/punt. His punts yield an average of less than 4 yards per return. This is a testament to Feales' ability, one that is increasingly rare in the league today, to direct his kicks so as to pin opposing teams deep or minimize returns. After 20 years in the league, he still has a job not because he is some kind of athletic freak, but because he honed a specific skill better than anyone else.
At this point, you have to ask the obvious question: how did the Giants get blown out by the Browns 10 weeks ago?
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